(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today praised the infrastructure agenda laid out by President Donald Trump, specifically its emphasis on investment in rural America.

The plan calls for 25 percent of new federal funds to be dedicated to rural infrastructure needs, as prioritized by state and local leaders.

Perdue issued the following statement:

"President Trump has made it a priority to rebuild our infrastructure since the day he took office and he has followed through on that commitment. No area of the country needs investment in infrastructure more than rural America. With a quarter of the new federal money heading to rural parts of the country, states will have the ability to expand broadband access, increase connectivity, rebuild roads, and supply affordable utilities. Importantly, states will have the flexibility to choose which projects will best meet their unique needs.

"Our Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity, which President Trump created on my first day as secretary of agriculture, identified infrastructure - and specifically access to high-speed Internet - as a key area where rural America must improve. In my travels across the country, I have heard from the people in the Heartland, and the overwhelming view is that this is just the type of investment they are looking for to help create jobs, improve education, improve the quality of life, and increase overall prosperity. Once again, by his words and deeds, President Trump is proving that he has rural America close to his heart."